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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. face — to point toward
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. rock — a stone
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. file — a document
  10. face — to confront
  11. content — the amount
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — to go on
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. rule — a law
  18. file — a tool
  19. rock — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rule — government
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. content — happy
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com